Albany Gaura Gopal Interview - Whats it all about

Well, we're travelling around the country gathering singletures for the release of our people in the Soviet Union and we've come to Albany here. We feel that the response is very good. So far we have 116,000 singletures nationwide and it really is something for the Australian public to be proud of because they're setting the example of what the world is going to be like in the 21st century which is a global image which means that there's so many different cultures and races and we all have to learn to live together.

So the Krishna people existing here in this country is the sign that we want to impress upon the Soviet Union. It's my best truck to start. We've seen two. Who are they going to be? Well, in November this year we are going to present the singletures to the Soviet Embassy in Canberra to the ambassador there.

He suggested in January last year that we take up this campaign to show the Soviets that in Australia the Australian public do not mind the Hare Krishna movement and also show that we feel very strongly towards religious freedom and human rights. Well in the Soviet Union as you may know it's considered anti-Soviet to follow any religious doctrine. Karl Marx's philosophy is totally anti-religious. But due to pressure from these types of campaigns in 1977 the Soviets allowed within their own constitution freedom of religion.

So therefore we're simply reminding them with all the singletures we are collecting 116,000 singletures so far. Hopefully we'll have one million by the end of the year. But this will remind them of their own constitution and a lack.